The present invention is directed to a polypropylene composition comprising a monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer and zinc adipate, a process for forming said polypropylene composition (PC) and an article comprising said polypropylene composition.

When cooling from a melt, polypropylene typically crystallizes into the monoclinic α-crystalline form. In addition to this α-form, polypropylene may also crystallize in the hexagonal β-crystalline form and the orthorhombic γ-crystalline form. The metastable β-form is typically characterised by improved impact strength and crack growth retention, which is advantageous for a number of applications, such as in pipes and fittings, but also in profiles and ducts, automotive parts and other technical articles.

Typically, β-crystallisation is achieved through the addition of specific β-nucleating agents, such as quinacridone pigments (e.g. in EP 0 177 961 A2), amide compounds (e.g. NJstar NU-100, N,N'-dicyclohexyl-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxamide) and, more recently, heteronuclear rare earth complexes such as WBG (as originally disclosed in Xiao W. et al, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 111, 1076-1085 (2009)).

It is also known that calcium salts of certain simple dibasic acids (such as pimelic acid and suberic acid, as in WO 2008/074494 A1) can perform well as β-nucleating agents, though these salts can be very sensitive to traces of water and other difficult to control parameters.

Whilst a number of β-nucleating agents are known in the art, they are somewhat unreliable when used in industrial processes. Quinacridone pigments furthermore introduce colour to polymer compositions, which is often not desired, depending on the end use of the composition.

Furthermore, many β-nucleating agents may be effective for some polypropylene materials and less effective for other polypropylene materials. When developing new β-nucleating agents, it is typical to test their effectiveness for nucleating propylene homopolymers, whereas far less attention is paid to the nucleation of propylene copolymers, such as propylene-ethylene random copolymers.

As such, further β-nucleating agents having high efficiency, reliability and avoiding pigmentation that are effective for polymers other than propylene homopolymers are desired in the field of polypropylene development.

The present invention is based on the observation that zinc adipate is a particularly effective β-nucleating agent for propylene-ethylene random copolymers.

In a first aspect, the present invention is directed to a polypropylene composition (PC) comprising:

1. a) a monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP) having:
   1. i) a melt flow rate (MFR₂), determined according to ISO 1133 at 230 °C at a load of 2.16 kg, in the range from 0.10 to 1.00 g/10 min;
   2. ii) a content of 2,1-regiodefects, as determined by ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy, in the range from 0.00 to 0.11 mol-%;
   3. iii) an ethylene content (C2), determined by quantitative ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy, in the range from 2.0 to 6.0 wt.-%, relative to the total weight of the monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP);
   4. iv) a relative content of isolated to block ethylene sequences, I(E), in the range from 45 to 80%,
      • wherein the I(E) content is defined by equation (I): $$I\left(E\right)=\frac{\mathit{fPEP}}{\left(\mathit{fEEE}+f\mathrm{PEE}+\mathit{fPEP}\right)}\times 100$$
      • wherein
      • I(E) is the relative content of isolated to block ethylene sequences [in %];
      • fPEP is the mol fraction of propylene/ethylene/propylene sequences (PEP) in the sample;
      • fPEE is the mol fraction of propylene/ethylene/ethylene sequences (PEE) and of ethylene/ethylene/propylene sequences (EEP) in the sample;
      • fEEE is the mol fraction of ethylene/ethylene/ethylene sequences (EEE) in the sample;
      • wherein all sequence concentrations being based on a statistical triad analysis of ¹³C-NMR data, and
2. b) zinc adipate (ZnAA).

In a second aspect, the present invention is directed to a process for producing the polypropylene composition (PC) of the first aspect, comprising the steps of:

1. a) providing the monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP) of the first aspect; and
2. b) mixing adipic acid with with a zinc source selected from the group consisting of zinc oxide, zinc hydroxide, zinc carbonate and combinations thereof thereby generating zinc adipate (ZnAA); and
3. c) blending and extruding the monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP) of step a) with the zinc adipate (ZnAA) of step b) and optionally further additives (A) at a temperature in the range from 160 to 280 °C in an extruder, preferably a twin-screw extruder, thereby generating the polypropylene composition (PC), preferably in pellet form.

In a final aspect, the present invention is directed to an article comprising at least 90 wt.-%, relative to the total weight of the article, of the polypropylene composition (PC) of the first aspect.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. Although, any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in practice for testing of the present invention, the preferred materials and methods are described herein. In describing and claiming the present invention, the following terminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set out below.

Unless clearly indicated otherwise, use of the terms "a," "an," and the like refers to one or more.

All references to standardised measurement methods, such as ISO standards, used throughout the present specification are to be interpreted as preferably referring to the specific version (i.e. publication date) of said standardised measurement method in the determination methods section (e.g. ISO 1133 (2022)).

According to the present invention, the expression "propylene homopolymer" relates to a polypropylene that consists substantially, i.e. of at least 99.5 mol-%, more preferably of at least 99.8 mol-%, like of at least 99.9 mol-%, of propylene units. In another embodiment, only propylene units are detectable, i.e. only propylene has been polymerized.

A propylene random copolymer is a copolymer of propylene monomer units and comonomer units, preferably selected from ethylene and C₄-C₁₂ alpha-olefins, in which the comonomer units are distributed randomly over the polymeric chain. The propylene random copolymer can comprise comonomer units from one or more comonomers different in their amounts of carbon atoms. In the following amounts are given in mol-% unless it is stated otherwise. A propylene random copolymer must contain at least 50 mol-% propylene units.

Typical for propylene homopolymers and propylene random copolymers is the presence of only one glass transition temperature.

In a first aspect, the present invention is directed to a polypropylene composition (PC) comprising:

1. a) a monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP),and
2. b) zinc adipate (ZnAA).

It is preferred that the total contents of the monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP) and the zinc adipate are at least 90 wt.-%, more preferably at least 95 wt.-%, most preferably at least 98 wt.-%, relative to the total weight of the polypropylene composition (PC).

It is preferred that the polypropylene composition (PC) has a melt flow rate (MFR₂), determined according to ISO 1133 at 230 °C at a load of 2.16 kg, in the range from 0.10 to 4.00 g/10 min, more preferably in the range from 0.15 to 1.00 g/10 min, most preferably in the range from 0.17 to 0.50 g/10 min.

It is preferred that the polypropylene composition (PC) has a flexural modulus, determined according to ISO 178 using 80 × 10 × 4 mm³ test bars injection moulded in line with ISO 19069-2, in the range from 750 to 1500 MPa, more preferably in the range from 800 to 1300 MPa, most preferably in the range from 850 to 1100 MPa.

It is preferred that the polypropylene composition (PC) has a Charpy notched impact strength (NIS), determined at +23 °C according to ISO 179/1eA using 80 × 10 × 4 mm³ test bars injection moulded in line with ISO 19069-2, in the range from 10.0 to 100.0 kJ/m², more preferably in the range from 20.0 to 80.0 kJ/m², most preferably in the range from 30.0 to 60.0 kJ/m².

It is preferred that the polypropylene composition (PC) has a crystallisation temperature (T_c), determined according to ISO 11357, in the range from 107.0 to 120.0 °C, more preferably in the range from 107.0 to 116.0 °C, most preferably in the range from 108.0 to 112.0 °C.

It is preferred that the polypropylene composition (PC) has a beta phase content (DSC), as determined according to the procedure given in the determination methods, in the range from 60 to 90%, more preferably in the range from 65 to 85%, most preferably in the range from 68 to 80%.

The beta phase content (DSC) is calculated by dividing the enthalpy of fusion that corresponds to the beta phase with the sum of the enthalpy of fusion that corresponds to the beta phase and the enthalpy of fusion that corresponds to the alpha phase.

It is preferred that the polypropylene composition (PC) has a beta phase content (K_β), determined by wide angle x-ray scattering (WAXS) on a specimen as defined in the determination methods, in the range from 60 to 99%, more preferably in the range from 63 to 95%, most preferably in the range from 65 to 90%.

It is preferred that the polypropylene composition (PC) has a crystallinity index Xc, determined by wide angle x-ray scattering (WAXS) on a specimen as defined in the determination methods, in the range from 50 to 70%, more preferably in the range from 53 to 65%, most preferably in the range from 55 to 60%.

It is also preferred that the polypropylene composition (PC) is unpigmented. In other words, the polypropylene composition (PC) is free from pigments, more preferably free from pigments and other additives capable of changing the natural colour of the composition.

It is particularly preferred that the polypropylene composition (PC) has a CIELAB L* value, as determined according to ISO 11664-4, in the range from 70.0 to 100.0, more preferably in the range from 75.0 to 95.0, most preferably in the range from 80.0 to 90.0.

It is also particularly preferred that the polypropylene composition (PC) has a CIELAB a* value, as determined according to ISO 11664-4, in the range from -10.0 to 10.0, more preferably in the range from -5.0 to 5.0, most preferably in the range from -2.0 to 1.0.

It is furthermore particularly preferred that the polypropylene composition (PC) has a CIELAB b* value, as determined according to ISO 11664-4, in the range from -10.0 to 10.0, more preferably in the range from -5.0 to 5.0, most preferably in the range from 0.0 to 3.0.

The polypropylene composition (PC) preferably has a hydrostatic pressure resistance (HPT), determined according to ISO 1167-1 on a pipe specimen according to ISO 1167-2 having an outer diameter of 32 mm and an average wall thickness of 3.2 mm, at a temperature of 20 °C and a hoop stress of 16 MPa, in the range from 1 to 1000 hours, more preferably in the range from 10 to 700 hours, most preferably in the range from 20 to 500 hours.

The polypropylene composition (PC) preferably has a hydrostatic pressure resistance (HPT), determined according to ISO 1167-1 on a pipe specimen according to ISO 1167-2 having an outer diameter of 32 mm and an average wall thickness of 3.2 mm, at a temperature of 20 °C and a hoop stress of 15 MPa, in the range from 10 to 5000 hours, more preferably in the range from 100 to 3000 hours, most preferably in the range from 500 to 2000 hours.

The polypropylene composition (PC) preferably has a hydrostatic pressure resistance (HPT), determined according to ISO 1167-1 on a pipe specimen according to ISO 1167-2 having an outer diameter of 32 mm and an average wall thickness of 3.2 mm, at a temperature of 20 °C and a hoop stress of 14.5 MPa, in the range from 20 to 20,000 hours, more preferably in the range from 400 to 10,000 hours, most preferably in the range from 1000 to 5000 hours.

The polypropylene composition (PC) preferably has a hydrostatic pressure resistance (HPT), determined according to ISO 1167-1 on a pipe specimen according to ISO 1167-2 having an outer diameter of 32 mm and an average wall thickness of 3.2 mm, at a temperature of 95 °C and a hoop stress of 5 MPa, in the range from 1 to 50 hours, more preferably in the range from 1.5 to 30 hours, most preferably in the range from 2 to 20 hours.

The polypropylene composition (PC) preferably has a hydrostatic pressure resistance (HPT), determined according to ISO 1167-1 on a pipe specimen according to ISO 1167-2 having an outer diameter of 32 mm and an average wall thickness of 3.2 mm, at a temperature of 95 °C and a hoop stress of 4.1 MPa, in the range from 100 to 50,000 hours, more preferably in the range from 1000 to 30,000 hours, most preferably in the range from 5000 to 20,000 hours.

The polypropylene composition (PC) preferably has a hydrostatic pressure resistance (HPT), determined according to ISO 1167-1 on a pipe specimen according to ISO 1167-2 having an outer diameter of 32 mm and an average wall thickness of 3.2 mm, at a temperature of 95 °C and a hoop stress of 3.8 MPa, in the range from 1000 to 50,000 hours, more preferably in the range from 3000 to 30,000 hours, most preferably in the range from 5000 to 20,000 hours.

One essential component of the polypropylene composition (PC) is the monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP).

The monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP) has a melt flow rate (MFR₂), determined according to ISO 1133 at 230 °C at a load of 2.16 kg, in the range from 0.10 to 4.00 g/10 min, more preferably in the range from 0.15 to 1.00 g/10 min, most preferably in the range from 0.17 to 0.50 g/10 min.

The monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP) has an ethylene content (C2), determined by quantitative ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy, in the range from 2.0 to 6.0 wt.-%, more preferably in the range from 2.4 to 4.0 wt.-%, most preferably in the range from 2.8 to 3.8 wt.-%, relative to the total weight of the monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP).

The monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP) consists of propylene and ethylene monomers, therefore the monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP) consequently has a propylene content (C3), determined by quantitative ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy, in the range from 94.0 to 98.0 wt.-%, more preferably in the range from 96.0 to 97.6 wt.-% most preferably in the range from 96.2 to 97.2 wt.-%, relative to the total weight of the monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP).

It is preferred that the monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP) has a xylene cold soluble (XCS) content, determined according to ISO 16152, in the range from 3.0 to 15.0 wt.-%, more preferably in the range from 5.0 to 12.0 wt.-%, most preferably in the range from 7.0 to 9.0 wt.-%, relative to the total weight of the monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP).

The monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP) has a content of 2,1-regiodefects, as determined by ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy, in the range from 0.00 to 0.11 mol-%, more preferably in the range from 0.00 to 0.05 mol-%, yet more preferably in the range from 0.00 to 0.03 mol-%, most preferably the monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP) is free from 2,1-regiodefects, i.e. 0.00 mol-%.

Being free of 2,1-regiodefects is an indication that the monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP) has been polymerized in the presence of a Ziegler-Natta catalyst.

Therefore, it is further preferred that the monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP) has been polymerized in the presence of a Ziegler-Natta catalyst.

The monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP) is further defined by its relative content of isolated to block ethylene sequences, I(E).

The I(E) content is defined by equation (I): $$I\left(E\right)=\frac{\mathit{fPEP}}{\left(\mathit{fEEE}+f\mathrm{PEE}+\mathit{fPEP}\right)}\times 100$$ wherein

• I(E) is the relative content of isolated to block ethylene sequences [in %];
• fPEP is the mol fraction of propylene/ethylene/propylene sequences (PEP) in the sample; fPEE is the mol fraction of propylene/ethylene/ethylene sequences (PEE) and of ethylene/ethylene/propylene sequences (EEP) in the sample;
• fEEE is the mol fraction of ethylene/ethylene/ethylene sequences (EEE) in the sample; wherein all sequence concentrations being based on a statistical triad analysis of ¹³C-NMR data.

This parameter is used as an indication of how random the insertion of ethylene is within the polypropylene chain.

The monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP) has a relative content of isolated to block ethylene sequences, I(E) in the range from 45 to 80%, more preferably in the range from 55 to 77%, most preferably in the range from 65 to 75%.

Another essential component of the polypropylene composition (PC) is zinc adipate (ZnAA).

Zinc adipate has a CAS No: 3446-35-3 and is available from many commercial suppliers.

Alternatively, zinc adipate can be prepared by methods known to the person skilled in the art.

It is preferred that the zinc adipate is obtainable by, more preferably obtained by, mixing adipic acid with a zinc source selected from the group consisting of zinc oxide, zinc hydroxide, zinc carbonate and combinations thereof.

It is further preferred that the zinc source is selected from the group consisting of zinc oxide, zinc hydroxide and combinations thereof.

In a preferred embodiment, the zinc source is zinc oxide.

In this embodiment, it is preferred that the adipic acid and the zinc oxide are mixed in a weight ratio in the range from 0.5:1 to 4:1, more preferably in the range from 1:1 to 3:1, most preferably in the range from 1.5:1 to 2.5:1.

It is particularly preferred that the mixing is dry mixing.

The zinc adipate (ZnAA) is preferably present in an amount in the range from 10 to 5000 ppm, more preferably from 100 to 3000 ppm, most preferably in the range from 500 to 2000 ppm, relative to the total weight of the polypropylene composition (PC).

In a second aspect, the present invention is directed to a process for producing the polypropylene composition (PC) of the first aspect, comprising the steps of:

1. a) providing the monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP) of the first aspect; and
2. b) mixing adipic acid with with a zinc source selected from the group consisting of zinc oxide, zinc hydroxide, zinc carbonate and combinations thereof thereby generating zinc adipate (ZnAA); and
3. c) blending and extruding the monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP) of step a) with the zinc adipate (ZnAA) of step b) and optionally further additives (A) at a temperature in the range from 160 to 280 °C in an extruder, preferably a twin-screw extruder, thereby generating the polypropylene composition (PC), preferably in pellet form.

It is preferred that the zinc source is selected from the group consisting of zinc oxide, zinc hydroxide and combinations thereof, most preferably the zinc source is zinc oxide.

In this embodiment, it is preferred that the adipic acid and the zinc oxide are mixed in a weight ratio in the range from 0.5:1 to 4:1, more preferably in the range from 1:1 to 3:1, most preferably in the range from 1.5:1 to 2.5:1.

It is particularly preferred that the mixing is dry mixing.

All fallback positions and preferable embodiments of the polypropylene composition (PC), the monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP), and the zinc adipate (ZnAA) of the first aspect are applicable mutatis mutandis to the polypropylene composition (PC), the monophasic propylene-ethylene random copolymer (PP), and the zinc adipate (ZnAA) of the second aspect.

In a final aspect, the present invention is directed to an article comprising at least 90 wt.-%, relative to the total weight of the article, of the polypropylene composition (PC) of the first aspect.

Preferably the article comprises at least 95 wt.-%, more preferably at least 98 wt.-%, relative to the total weight of the article, of the polypropylene composition (PC) of the first aspect.

In one embodiment, the article consists of the polypropylene composition (PC) of the first aspect.

It is particularly preferred that the article is a pipe. More preferably, said pipe is a pressure pipe like a hot-water pipe for building installations. Equally preferably, said pipe has an outer diameter of 12.5 mm (0.5 inch) to 254 mm (10 inch) and a wall thickness of 1 mm to 12 mm.

The pipe preferably has a hydrostatic pressure resistance (HPT), determined according to ISO 1167-1 at a temperature of 20 °C and a hoop stress of 16 MPa, in the range from 1 to 1000 hours, more preferably in the range from 10 to 700 hours, most preferably in the range from 20 to 500 hours.

The pipe preferably has a hydrostatic pressure resistance (HPT), determined according to ISO 1167-1 at a temperature of 20 °C and a hoop stress of 15 MPa, in the range from 10 to 5000 hours, more preferably in the range from 100 to 3000 hours, most preferably in the range from 500 to 2000 hours.

The pipe preferably has a hydrostatic pressure resistance (HPT), determined according to ISO 1167-1 at a temperature of 20 °C and a hoop stress of 14.5 MPa, in the range from 20 to 20,000 hours, more preferably in the range from 400 to 10,000 hours, most preferably in the range from 1000 to 5000 hours.

The pipe preferably has a hydrostatic pressure resistance (HPT), determined according to ISO 1167-1 at a temperature of 95 °C and a hoop stress of 5 MPa, in the range from 1 to 50 hours, more preferably in the range from 1.5 to 30 hours, most preferably in the range from 2 to 20 hours.

The pipe preferably has a hydrostatic pressure resistance (HPT), determined according to ISO 1167-1 at a temperature of 95 °C and a hoop stress of 4.1 MPa, in the range from 100 to 50,000 hours, more preferably in the range from 1000 to 30,000 hours, most preferably in the range from 5000 to 20,000 hours.

The pipe preferably has a hydrostatic pressure resistance (HPT), determined according to ISO 1167-1 at a temperature of 95 °C and a hoop stress of 3.8 MPa, in the range from 1000 to 50,000 hours, more preferably in the range from 3000 to 30,000 hours, most preferably in the range from 5000 to 20,000 hours.

The following definitions of terms and determination methods apply for the above general description of the invention including the claims as well as to the below examples unless otherwise defined.

Quantitative nuclear-magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to quantify the isotacticity and regio-regularity of the ethylene-propylene copolymer.

Quantitative ¹³C{¹H} NMR spectra were recorded in the solution-state using a Bruker Advance III 400 NMR spectrometer operating at 400.15 and 100.62 MHz for ¹H and ¹³C respectively. All spectra were recorded using a ¹³C optimised 10 mm extended temperature probe head at 125°C using nitrogen gas for all pneumatics.

Approximately 200 mg of material was dissolved in 1,2-tetrachloroethane-d₂ (TCE-d₂). To ensure a homogenous solution, after initial sample preparation in a heat block, the NMR tube was further heated in a rotatory oven for at least 1 hour. Upon insertion into the magnet the tube was spun at 10 Hz. This setup was chosen primarily for the high resolution needed for tacticity distribution quantification (Busico, V., Cipullo, R., Prog. Polym. Sci. 26 (2001) 443; Busico, V.; Cipullo, R., Monaco, G., Vacatello, M., Segre, A.L., Macromolecules 30 (1997) 6251). Standard single-pulse excitation was employed utilising the NOE and bi-level WALTZ 16 decoupling scheme (Zhou, Z., Kuemmerle, R., Qiu, X., Redwine, D., Cong, R., Taha, A., Baugh, D. Winniford, B., J. Mag. Reson. 187 (2007) 225; Busico, V., Carbonniere, P., Cipullo, R., Pellecchia, R., Severn, J., Talarico, G., Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2007, 28, 11289). A total of 8192 (8k) transients were acquired per spectra.

Quantitative ¹³C{¹H} NMR spectra were processed, integrated and relevant quantitative properties determined from the integrals using proprietary computer programs.

All chemical shifts are internally referenced to the methyl isotactic pentad (mmmm) at 21.85 ppm.

Characteristic signals corresponding to regio defects (Resconi, L., Cavallo, L., Fait, A., Piemontesi, F., Chem. Rev. 2000, 100, 1253; Wang, W-J., Zhu, S., Macromolecules 33 (2000), 1157; Cheng, H. N., Macromolecules 17 (1984), 1950) or comonomer were observed.

The tacticity distribution was quantified through integration of the methyl region between 23.6-19.7 ppm correcting for any sites not related to the stereo sequences of interest (Busico, V., Cipullo, R., Prog. Polym. Sci. 26 (2001) 443; Busico, V., Cipullo, R., Monaco, G., Vacatello, M., Segre, A.L., Macromolecules 30 (1997) 6251).

Specifically the influence of regio-defects and comonomer on the quantification of the tacticity distribution was corrected for by subtraction of representative regio-defect and comonomer integrals from the specific integral regions of the stereo sequences.

The isotacticity was determined at the pentad level and reported as the percentage of isotactic pentad (mmmm) sequences with respect to all pentad sequences: $$\left[\mathrm{mmmm}\right]\%=100*\left(\mathrm{mmmm}/\mathrm{sum}\mathrm{of}\mathrm{all}\mathrm{pentads}\right)$$

The presence of 2,1 erythro regio-defects was indicated by the presence of the two methyl sites at 17.7 and 17.2 ppm and confirmed by other characteristic sites. Characteristic signals corresponding to other types of regio-defects were not observed (Resconi, L., Cavallo, L., Fait, A., Piemontesi, F., Chem. Rev. 2000, 100, 1253).

The amount of 2,1 erythro regio-defects was quantified using the average integral of the two characteristic methyl sites at 17.7 and 17.2 ppm: $${\mathrm{P}}_{21\mathrm{e}}=\left({\mathrm{I}}_{\mathrm{e}6}+{\mathrm{I}}_{\mathrm{e}8}\right)/2$$

The amount of 1,2 primary inserted propene was quantified based on the methyl region with correction undertaken for sites included in this region not related to primary insertion and for primary insertion sites excluded from this region: $${\mathrm{P}}_{12}={\mathrm{I}}_{\mathrm{CH}3}+{\mathrm{P}}_{12\mathrm{e}}$$

The total amount of propene was quantified as the sum of primary inserted propene and all other present regio-defects: $${\mathrm{P}}_{\mathrm{total}}={\mathrm{P}}_{12}+{\mathrm{P}}_{21\mathrm{e}}$$

The mole percent of 2,1 erythro regio-defects was quantified with respect to all propene: $$\left[21\mathrm{e}\right]\mathrm{mol}-\%=100*\left({\mathrm{P}}_{21\mathrm{e}}/{\mathrm{P}}_{\mathrm{total}}\right)$$

The comonomer fraction was quantified using the method of Wang et. al. (Wang, W-J., Zhu, S., Macromolecules 33 (2000), 1157) through integration of multiple signals across the whole spectral region in the ¹³C{¹H} spectra. This method was chosen for its robust nature and ability to account for the presence of regio-defects when needed. Integral regions were slightly adjusted to increase applicability across the whole range of encountered comonomer contents.

For systems where only isolated ethylene in PPEPP sequences was observed the method of Wang et. al. was modified to reduce the influence of non-zero integrals of sites that are known to not be present. This approach reduced the overestimation of ethylene content for such systems and was achieved by reduction of the number of sites used to determine the absolute ethylene content to: $$\mathrm{E}=0.5\left({\mathrm{S}}_{\mathrm{\beta \beta }}+{\mathrm{S}}_{\mathrm{\beta \gamma }}+{\mathrm{S}}_{\mathrm{\beta \delta }}+0.5\left({\mathrm{S}}_{\mathrm{\alpha \beta }}+{\mathrm{S}}_{\mathrm{\alpha \gamma }}\right)\right)$$

Through the use of this set of sites the corresponding integral equation becomes: $$\mathrm{E}=0.5\left({\mathrm{I}}_{\mathrm{H}}+{\mathrm{I}}_{\mathrm{G}}+0.5\left({\mathrm{I}}_{\mathrm{C}}+{\mathrm{I}}_{\mathrm{D}}\right)\right)$$ using the same notation used in the article of Wang et. al. (Wang, W-J., Zhu, S., Macromolecules 33 (2000), 1157). Equations used for absolute propylene content were not modified.

The mole percent comonomer incorporation was calculated from the mole fraction: $$\mathrm{E}\left[\mathrm{mol}-\%\right]=100*{\mathrm{f}}_{\mathrm{E}}$$

The weight percent comonomer incorporation was calculated from the mole fraction: $$\mathrm{E}\left[\mathrm{wt}.-\%\right]=100*\left({\mathrm{f}}_{\mathrm{E}}*28.06\right)/\left(\left({\mathrm{f}}_{\mathrm{E}}*28.06\right)+\left(\left(1-{\mathrm{f}}_{\mathrm{E}}\right)*42.08\right)\right).$$

The comonomer sequence distribution at the triad level was determined using the analysis method of Kakugo et al. (Kakugo, M., Naito, Y., Mizunuma, K., Miyatake, T. Macromolecules 15 (1982) 1 150). This method was chosen for its robust nature and integration regions slightly adjusted to increase applicability to a wider range of comonomer contents.

The melt flow rate (MFR) was determined according to ISO 1133 (2022) and is indicated in g/10 min. The MFR is an indication of the flowability, and hence the processability, of the polymer. The higher the melt flow rate, the lower the viscosity of the polymer. The MFR₂ of polypropylene was determined at a temperature of 230 °C and a load of 2.16 kg.

The xylene soluble fraction at room temperature (XCS, wt.-%): The amount of the polymer soluble in xylene was determined at 25 °C according to ISO 16152 (2022).

DSC analysis, melting temperature (T_m) and crystallization temperature (T_c): measured with a TA Instrument Q200 differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) on 5 to 7 mg samples. DSC is run according to ISO 11357 (2023) / part 3 /method C2 in a heat / cool / heat cycle with a scan rate of 10 °C/min in the temperature range of -30 to +225 °C. Crystallization temperature (T_c) and crystallization enthalpy (H_c) are determined from the cooling step, while melting temperature (T_m) and melting enthalpy (H_m) are determined from the second heating step.

On the second heating curve two melting peaks are observed, the one with a higher temperature corresponds to the alpha phase and assigned as T_m1 with enthalpy of ΔH_m1, and the one with a lower temperature corresponds to the beta phase, it is assigned as T_m2 with enthalpy of ΔH_m2. For a given comonomer content, the person skilled in the art can straightforwardly determine which peak belongs to the alpha phase and which peak belongs to the beta phase.

The beta phase content was determined using the following calculation: $$\mathrm{Beta}\mathrm{phase}\mathrm{content}\left(\mathrm{DSC}\right)=\frac{\left[\mathrm{\Delta }\mathrm{Hm}2\right]}{\left(\left[\mathrm{\Delta }\mathrm{Hm}1\right]+\left[\mathrm{\Delta }\mathrm{Hm}2\right]\right)}\times 100\%$$

The method was used for measurement of color on flakes and complies with ISO 11664-4 (2019). With a spectrophotometer, the 3 standard color value values X, Y and Z are measured, which are used to calculate the CIE L*, a*, b* and its color distances.

The Flexural Modulus was determined according to ISO 178 (2019) method A (3-point bending test) on 80 × 10 × 4 mm³ specimens. Following the standard, a test speed of 2 mm/min and a span length of 16 times the thickness was used. The testing temperature was 23±2° C. Injection moulding was carried out according to ISO 19069-2 (2016) using a melt temperature of 255°C for all materials irrespective of material melt flow rate.

The Charpy notched impact strength (NIS) was measured according to ISO 179 1eA (2023) at +23°C, using injection moulded bar test specimens of 80 × 10 × 4 mm³ specimens. Injection moulding was carried out according to ISO 19069-2 (2016) using a melt temperature of 255°C for all materials irrespective of material melt flow rate.

The measurement of wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) of the samples was conducted by a Bruker D8 Discover apparatus. The diffractometer was equipped with an X-ray tube with a copper target operating at 30 kV and 20mA and a GADDS 2-D detector. A point collimation (0.5 mm) was used to direct the beam onto the surface. The measurement was done in reflection geometry, and 28 angle in the range from 10° to 32.5° were measured. Data were collected for 300 s. Intensity vs. 2-theta curve was acquired with the same measurement parameters on an amorphous polypropylene sample, which was prepared by solvent extraction. An amorphous halo was obtained by smoothing the curve. The amorphous halo has been subtracted from the measured intensity vs. 2-theta curve to result in the crystalline curve.

The crystallinity index Xc can be defined by the area under the crystalline curve and the original spectrum using Challa, Hermans and Weidinger method [Challa F, Hermans PH, Weidinger A, Makromol. Chem. 56, 169 (1962)] as: $$\mathit{Xc}=\frac{\mathit{area}\mathit{under}\mathit{crystalline}\mathit{curve}}{\mathit{area}\mathit{under}\mathit{original}\mathit{spectrum}}\times 100\%$$

The amount of β-form of the polypropylene within the crystalline phase K_β was calculated using the Jones method [Turner-Jones A, Aizlewood JM, Beckett DR, Makromol. Chem. 75, 134 (1974)] according to the following equation (modified to be expressed as a percentage): $$K_{\mathrm{\beta }}=\frac{{\mathrm{I}}^{\mathrm{\beta }}\left(300\right)}{{\mathrm{I}}^{\mathrm{\alpha }}\left(110\right)+{\mathrm{I}}^{\mathrm{\alpha }}\left(040\right)+{\mathrm{I}}^{\mathrm{\alpha }}\left(130\right)+{\mathrm{I}}^{\mathrm{\beta }}\left(300\right)}\times 100\%$$ where, I^β(300) is the intensity of β(300) peak, I^α (1 10) is the intensity of α(1 10) peak, I^α (040) is the intensity of α(040) peak and I^α (130) is the intensity of α(130) peak obtained after subtracting the amorphous halo.

The amount of γ-form of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) within the crystalline phase K_γ was calculated using the method developed by Pae [Pae KD, J. Polym. Sci. , Part A, 6, 657 (1968)] (modified to be expressed as a percentage) as: $$K_{\mathrm{\gamma }}=\frac{{\mathrm{I}}^{\mathrm{\gamma }}\left(117\right)}{{\mathrm{I}}^{\mathrm{\alpha }}\left(130\right)+{\mathrm{I}}^{\mathrm{\gamma }}\left(117\right)}\times 100\%$$ where, I^α (130) is the intensity of α(130) peak and I^γ (117) is the intensity of y(117) peak obtained after subtracting a base line joining the base of these peaks.

Measurements were performed on samples prepared in TA Instrument Q200 differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) machine. 5-7 mg of sample were sealed in an Al pan and heated to 225°C with a heating rate of 10°C/min, hold for 5min to erase the thermal history, and then it is cool down to 25°C with 10°C/min. The resultant sample is then used for WAXS measurement.

The pressure test performance of pipes produced from beta nucleated polypropylene was tested in accordance with ISO 1167-1 and-2 (2006). The pipe having a diameter of 32 mm and a wall thickness of 3 mm was produced in accordance with ISO 1167-2 (2006) on a conventional pipe extrusion line (Battenfeld-Cincinnati GmbH). The extruder temperature has been set at 180-225°C, the melt temperature was 200-230°C and has been recorded after 120 min of process stabilization. The line has been run at a constant throughput of 50 kg/h. The resultant pipe was then subjected to various circumferential (hoop) stress (expressed in MPa) at various temperatures (expressed in °C) in a water-in-water setup in accordance with ISO 1167-1 (2006). The time in hours to failure was registered, times with an additional "still running" meaning that the failure time had not yet been reached at the time of filing of the present patent application.

The PP used is prepared on a Borstar pilot plant, with the configuration of prepolymerizer-loop-loop configuration. As the catalyst, the Ziegler-Natta-catalyst system ZN180-2M, commercially available from LyondellBasell Industries, was used. As a cocatalyst, triethylaluminium (TEAL) was used, whilst the external donor was donor D (dicyclopentyldimethoxysilane). The polymerization conditions are shown in Table 1. PP Prepolymerizer Temperature [°C] 20 Pressure [kPa] 5464 Catalyst feeding rate [g/h] 0.7 Teal [g/tC3] 150 Donor [g/tC3] 40 Residence time [h] 0.4 Loop 1 Temperature [°C] 67 Pressure [kPa] 5437 Feed H₂ [ppm] 180 Feed C2/C3 [mol/kmol] 9.7 MFR₂ [g/10min] 0,06 C2 [wt.-%] 4.2 Split [wt.-%] 61 Loop 2 Temperature [°C] 67 Pressure [kPa] 5437 Feed H₂ [ppm] 700 Feed C2/C3 [mol/kmol] 3.2 MFR g/10min 0.24 Split [wt.-%] 39 XCS [wt.-%] 7.9 C2 [wt.-%] 3.1 I(E) % 71 2,1 regiodefects mol-% 0.0

The preparation of NU1 to NU3 were carried out using a ball miller at room temperature for 10 min. The resultant mixture was used in the following experiments as is. Several repetitions of the ball milling were carried to obtain sufficient amount of each of NU1 to NU3.

• NU1: Pimelic acid /ZnO 2:1: 5g of Pimelic acid (CAS 111-16-0, Sigma-Aldrich) and 2.5 g of ZnO (ZINKOXYD AKTIV, Lanxess) were ball milled in a ball miller, with 10min.
• NU2: adipic acid/ZnO 2:1: as the NU1 process, except the acid is adipic acid (CAS 124-04-9, supplier by BASF).
• NU3: adipic acid/ZnO 1:1: as the NU2 process, except the weight ratio of adipic acid to ZnO is adjusted to 1: 1 w/w.

The inventive and comparative examples were compounded in a ZSK twin screw extruder with a melt temperature of 210 °C and a throughput rate of 7 kg/h, according to the recipes given in Table 2: CE1 CE2 CE3 IE1 IE2 PP [wt%] 99.13 99.12 99.03 99.03 99.03 NU1 [wt%] - - 0.10 - - NU2 [wt%] - - - 0.10 - NU3 [wt%] - - - - 0.10 NU4 [wt%] - 0.01 - - - AO1 [wt%] 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 AO2 [wt%] 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.20 AO3 [wt%] 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10 SHT [wt%] 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.07 NU4 CGNA-7588 (quino[2,3-b]acridine-6,7,13,14(5H,12H)-tetrone, CAS No: 1503-48-6), commercially available from BASF SE. AO1 Irganox 1330 (1,3,5-tri-methyl-2,4,6-tris-(3,5-di-tert. butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) benzene, CAS No: 1709-70-2), commercially available from BASF SE AO2 Irganox 1010 (pentaerythritol tetrakis[3-[3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl]propionate], CAS No: 6683-19-8), commercially available from BASF SE. AO3 Irgafos 168 (tris(2,4-ditert-butylphenyl)phosphite, CAS No: 31570-04-4), commercially available from BASF SE. SHT synthetic hydrotalcite, commercially available from Kisuma Chemicals under the trade name DHT-4A CE1 CE2 CE3 IE1 IE2 MFR₂ [g/10min] 0.24 0.30 0.26 0.26 0.22 Flex Mod [MPa] 950 771 n.m. 856 907 Charpy NIS (23°C) [kJ/m²] 12.2 47.9 n.m. 42.8 13.4 DSC T_c [°C] 105 109 106 109 109 T_m1 [°C] 147 152 145 150 147 ΔH_m1 [J/g] 71 18 36 24 36 T_m2 [°C] n.d. 136 133 135 134 ΔH_m2 [J/g] n.d. 61 44 59 55 [ΔH_m2]/([ΔH_m1]+[ ΔH_m2]) [-] 0 77.2 55.0 76.6 69.5 WAXS Xc [%] 58.7 56.2 n.m. 56.4 57.3 K_β [%] 2 85 n.m. 84 69 K_γ [%] 31 7 n.m. 7 10 CIELAB L* [-] n.m. 67.4 n.m. 82.7 82.0 a* [-] n.m. 15.3 n.m. -1.0 -1.0 b* [-] n.m. 38.1 n.m. 1.5 2.0 n.d. - not detected, n.m. - not measured.

As can be seen from Table 3 (see CE2), although NU4 is an efficient beta nucleating agent, it is also a strong orange dye, affecting the colouring of the resultant compositions, which limits the application of this nucleating agent to strongly coloured compositions.

NU1 to NU3 are each beta nucleating agents that do not affect the colour of the nucleated compositions. NU1 (see CE1), which is a zinc pimelate, is not an effective nucleating agent for C3C2 random copolymers (see [ΔH_m2]/( [ΔH_m1]+[ ΔH_m2]), T_c and T_m). On the other hand, the zinc adipate nucleating agents NU2 and NU3 are much more effective, achieving similar levels of beta nucleating to NU4 without the undesired colouring effect.

As a further test, a pipe specimen was prepared from IE1 according to the conditions provided in the determination methods.

The hoop stress - time curve is shown in Figure 1. As can be seen, this excellent pipe performance meets the pressure resistance requirements of PP-RCT pipes defined in EN ISO 15874-2 (2023).

• ▪ 20°C, ductile failure
• •95°C, ductile failure
• ∘ 95°C, test still running